— — — — — — —
Joey took six days to reach East Blue. Then, he spent one day fighting.
After that, it took him another six days to return to Totto Land.
In total, he had spent thirteen days on this mission.
As Cracker recited the events of that battle day, everyone fell silent, processing what had happened.
Broyé, in her usual adorable manner, tilted her head and asked, "Big Bro, are these people idiots?"
She had always been a sweet and innocent child. Even as she grew, her cuteness never faded.
Joey chuckled softly. "Well, maybe because that guy really is an idiot. Either way, we pulled it off perfectly. With the Reverie about to begin, nothing can stop the establishment of the Totto Land Kingdom now... but still..."
At this point, Katakuri spoke up. "Before that happens, the Five Elders won't just sit back and do nothing. They'll launch an attack. We can expect anywhere from 100,000 to a million soldiers."
"These aren't ordinary troops either—they'll be warriors from kingdoms secretly nurtured by the Five Elders, so their strength won't be weak. There will be plenty of powerful foes among them."
"The other powerful kingdoms will also send warriors to attack. Even some pirates will join."
Everyone nodded in understanding. It was clear what was about to happen. A bunch of enemies were about to come knocking.
So what? They'd just crush them.
"Hahaha—"
Despite the looming battle, laughter filled the room.
Joey turned to ask, "How are the arrangements for the Lunarian Tribe?"
Amande responded, "Big Bro, we've prepared everything at Sun Island. The Lunarian Tribe has been set up under the best conditions. Also, I assigned Hachée and Effilée to lead a large number of top-tier doctors to ensure that the tribe's population remains at exactly 329. No casualties will be allowed."
Joey nodded in satisfaction. "Good."
Katakuri added, "Big Bro, the selection process of 100 warriors is already underway. Once everyone recovers, they'll start training immediately."
"Good."
Everything was progressing steadily.
Meanwhile, Charlotte Linlin sighed and muttered, "Kaido, that idiot… I once saw him as a little brother, but now he's turned into such a fool. Whatever, I can't be bothered with him anymore."
With that, the heavily pregnant Linlin decided to go rest.
Yes, she was four months pregnant again.
Perospero, looking puzzled, spoke up. "Big Bro, to be honest, this whole thing feels way too easy. There's something about it that feels… off, but I can't quite figure out what it is."
He wasn't the only one. Everyone felt like there was something weird about their victory, but no one could pinpoint the exact issue.
Joey simply chuckled and didn't say much.
"Sigh..."
At that moment, an elderly man with a cane slowly approached. He sighed and said, "Perospero, you've learned a lot about business, but you lack insight into human nature. Business and human psychology must go hand in hand. Only by mastering human nature can one truly excel in business."
Perospero immediately straightened up and bowed. "Teacher Zhuge Liang!"
"Teacher!" The entire Charlotte family followed suit in respect.
There were only two people in the world who got this respect from them—Scáthach and Zhuge Liang.
Zhuge Liang nodded and continued. "The reason for your unease isn't complicated. It's a simple matter of a flawed way of thinking. Let's do a test. Compote, my dear, if you were a pirate supported by the Totto Land Kingdom, how would you act?"
Compote thought for a moment before answering, "I'd plunder and pillage as much as I could. And if things got dangerous, I'd just run."
"Good. Now, Opera, if you were leading an army, how would you organize it?"
Opera responded, "Teacher, the standard strategy is a 6-4 split. Deploy 60% of the forces for offense while keeping 40% in reserve for defense, adjusting as necessary."
Zhuge Liang smiled. "Now, think about why there's such a huge difference between these two mindsets."
The realization dawned on them.
The enemy left 300 Lunarian Tribe members unguarded and sent their entire army out to fight?
This is a world where Devil Fruits exist—ones like the Book-Book Fruit, Mirror-Mirror Fruit, and Fortress-Fortress Fruit, which allow people to transport entire armies instantly.
And according to legends, there are even Devil Fruits like the Nation-Nation Fruit and the World-World Fruit!
These abilities aren't just myths.
A fruit that can hold an entire country? A fruit that can contain an entire world?
With these in mind, what kind of idiot sends their entire army away, leaving their base completely unprotected?
This was exactly why Joey had been able to wipe out the Celestial Dragons at God Valley so easily with Mondée and Custard.
And now, Mondée and Angel had pulled off the same feat in the East Blue.
The only difference was that this time, Joey's sisters had grown strong enough that he didn't need to intervene.
Frankly, it was so stupid that it was almost unbelievable.
The Celestial Dragons never even considered that someone would dare attack them, while Kaido's main focus was wiping out the Charlotte family. The Lunarian Tribe was merely bait—something he abandoned the moment Joey appeared.
"Hahaha—"
Joey laughed lightly. "Everyone, listen to your teacher carefully. Learn from this."
"But for now, let's keep preparing. The Five Elders won't give up so easily. Even if this is their last chance, they'll definitely make one final counterattack."
"Understood!" The group quickly dispersed to make their preparations.
---
The Charlotte Family continued their preparations. If the enemy launched one final attack, they'd be ready.
And if the attack never came?
Well, being prepared never hurt anyone.
This entire battle had already spread worldwide. While most people were unaware of the details, the major powers understood exactly what had happened.
It was the most humiliating failure imaginable.
— — —
Red Line – Mary Geoise
At the highest seat of power, the Five Elders sat, their faces ashen.
They weren't afraid of failure. To them, everything in history was just a passing wave. Time would eventually erase all setbacks.
But this?
This was beyond embarrassing.
Topman Warcury took a deep breath, suppressing his rage, and muttered, "I haven't been this furious in a long time… Charlotte Joey! Kaido! Both of those bastards deserve to die!"
In the end, his voice erupted into a furious roar.
No one tried to calm him down.
Because they all felt the same way.
Marcus Mars exhaled and spoke in a cold tone, "Kaido… That idiot. Even if he had lost the battle, even if he had been completely crushed, that would have been understandable. But this?"
Seriously.
This result was completely unacceptable.
Not just for the Five Elders.
Anyone wouldn't be able to accept this.
They had spent an astronomical amount of resources on this operation.
And what did they get in return?
This pathetic excuse of a result.
Kaido barely fought at all, lost twenty thousand berserker soldiers, let the Lunarian Tribe be stolen from under his nose, and then ran off with his tail between his legs.
What the hell was that supposed to be?
If sheer hatred could kill, Kaido would have been reduced to ashes by now.
This whole defeat was enough to give the Five Elders a collective heart attack.
They had held power for centuries.
Never in their long reign had they been humiliated like this!
This was beyond infuriating!
As for Shiki? That wasn't much of a problem.
Shiki was just a money-sink.
Sure, they lost some money, but whatever.
The real issue was Kaido.
Shepherd Ju Peter spoke calmly, "Calm down. Losing your temper won't solve anything."
Topman Warcury was still fuming. "I swear, I'm going to kill that bastard Kaido."
At that moment, Jaygarcia Saturn, still composed, interjected, "Relax. Kaido is just a mere pirate. There's no need to waste our energy on him. When the time comes, we'll deal with him however we please."
"The real problem is the Charlotte Family."
"Indeed."
Hearing this, the rest of the Elders gradually calmed down.
They took deep breaths.
Their rage subsided somewhat.
Still.
Whenever they thought about Kaido's sheer stupidity, their teeth ground together in frustration.
Especially Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro.
Among them, he was usually the most composed. The one least prone to emotional outbursts.
But anyone who knew him well also knew—He was the most dangerous one.
And right now, he was barely containing his murderous intent.
The way he tightly gripped his sword, his knuckles white with pressure, said it all.
He slowly exhaled and said, "Enough talk. There's no point discussing that failure any further. Once the Reverie is over… heh."
A dark, eerie chuckle escaped his lips, a cold, almost violet aura swirling around him.
He had already decided.
Kaido's fate was sealed.
Marcus Mars looked at him, then turned back to the others and said, "Right now, any plan involving the Lunarian Tribe to weaken the Charlotte Family has failed. As for the Dragon Tribe… that won't work either. Their power is immense, and they're hidden deep within the Calm Belt."
Jaygarcia Saturn nodded in agreement. "Even Vegapunk hasn't found a way to allow ships to navigate the Calm Belt freely."
Humans could not conquer nature.
Not even the Five Elders dared challenge the forces of the world itself.
The Calm Belt. A region infested with monstrous Sea Kings.
A place that instilled fear in even the mightiest warriors.
No matter how strong someone was, traversing that place freely?
Impossible.
.
.
.